Brazilian architect and urban planner. Born to Brazilian parents in France, Costa moved to Brazil in 1917. He graduated from the Escola Nacional de Belas Artes with a degree in architecture five years later. His early work was in a neo-colonial style. In 1930, after a revolutionary government took power, Costas was appointed to reform his alma mater, introducing the principles of European modernism to Brazil. He was forced out of this position by opposition from the teaching staff. Costa then opened an office with Gregori Warchavchik and became a leading proponent of modernist architecture. He collaborated with Oscar Niemeyer on a number of projects, including the Brazilian pavilion for the 1939 New York World's Fair and the Ministry of Education and Public Health building in Rio, for which Le Corbusier served as a consultant. In 1957, Costa won the competition for the master plan for Brasília, the new capital of the country. Costa also served as one of "the Five," the committee of architectural advisors who exerted great control over the design of the UNESCO headquarters in Paris.